RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's unemployment rate fell in September for the sixth consecutive month, ending the third quarter at 11.9 percent, the lowest level this year, the official Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said Tuesday.

The number of the unemployed fell to 12.5 million, according to the IBGE.

The unemployment rate for the third quarter was lower than that of the second quarter when it registered 12.4 percent and also lower than that of the same period in 2017 when it hit 12.4 percent.

The IBGE said the unemployment rate is still high despite the fall, making it an obstacle that prevents further growth of the Brazilian economy, the largest in Latin America.

In 2017, the number of the unemployed grew to a record 14 million due to an economic recession the country suffered from between 2015 and 2016, the worst in its history.

Last year, Brazil's gross domestic product grew 1 percent, while the forecast for this year is at 1.36 percent according to the financial market and 1.5 percent according to the government.